Sunday, May 8, 2016

Home Grown: Lawnmower Bites, Kills Tree

The lawn mower was supposed to circle the newly planted sapling, but instead it struck the base. Oops! Is that a problem?

Yes, it is.

Unlike skin, wounds that reach below the bark don't heal. At best, the trunk seals off the injury, but there is no repair in the sense that our skin repairs itself. Bark will form a callus along the edge of the wound, but it rarely can bridge the break. The trunk typically loses the bark in the injured area, and the wound remains decades later.